RE: The Collaboration
by Projekt-Z
Summary: Second stab at this crossover... The Mishima Zaibatsu and DOATEC have crossed paths and discovered that they have similar goals, as well as a few of their own. In attempts to make amends, and peace, they will need one another, but how long will the union of the two companies last when they had had such bad dealng before? OCs within, and possible harems.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Birthday

The headquarters of the Mishima Zaibatsu was quiet today, save for the newest leader, Jin Kazama, and his right hand lady, Nina Williams. Jin Kazama was the victor of the fifth King of Iron Fist Tournament and as the winner, he took control of the family organization, which was founded by his grandfather Heihachi Mishima. Jin was a Japanese young man dressed in a black suit with a long duster coat instead of a blazer.

Nina entered Jin's office and spoke, "I've been unable to locate the whereabouts of G. What should we do?"

Jin didn't sigh, nor was he disappointed. He shook his head and looked over his schedule for the day, on another screen that was in his vicinity, albeit more out of the way than the others. The calendar had a flashing day, which was today and it had a small asterisk.

Jin tapped the asterisk on the calendar and it popped up, in very plain lettering, 'Xiao's Birthday'. Jin didn't look at Nina this time, "Nina, you'll be in charge for the day. I have something to tend to." He stood up and pulled his jacket from the back of his chair, "If G makes any moves, be on it as closely and as quietly as possible, and let me know as soon as you can."

Nina was dressed in a purple army suit with splochy designs around her body, with the torso area seperate from her top to show off a little of her skin. There are six wires supporting the clothing on her crotch and she wears long purple gloves that cover most of her arms with two buckles on each gloves. Her boots share a similar design to her gloves.

Nina sat on the opposite side of the desk and watched Jin gather his few things. "Understood, but... where do you have to go all of a sudden?"

Jin flipped the collar on his jacket and replied, "Going to visit an old friend. Her birthday is today."

Nina cracked something akin to a teasing smile, "Trying to save face with a little crush?"

Jin replied blandly and looked at Nina, "...I doubt that it's anything like that... this girl was just a friend, she was trying to be there for me. I guess I just want to make sure she's alright. If I recall correctly, I may have inadvertently pushed her away at times..."

Nina shook her head, "You can't just do that from here?"

Jin looked at her once again, "The least I can do is pay her a visit on her birthday..."

Nina shrugged and said "Hm. It must be nice..." before she took her leave from Jin's office.

Jin watched the doors slide shut behind Nina and took out his phone. He typed in a phone number and was about to send a text message, however, he just stared at the phone, as if he was unsure of what to send. He slipped the phone back into his pocket and started down the hall, heading to his bike hangar.

When Jin entered the bike hangar, he headed for his black motorcycle and took the seat. He pulled out his phone again and exited the messenger and pulled up a tracer for a cyborg named Alisa. As she was most likely spending time with Xiaoyu.

Ling Xiaoyu, a girl who has a crush on Jin, was of Chinese heritage and lived in Japan for most of her life and attends Mishima Polytech High School. She has black hair, which she ties in pigtails and she has brown eyes. She was at an amusement park with her friends, Miharu Hirano and Alisa Bosconovitch, and her pet panda. Miharu Hirano was a brown haired Japanese girl and high school friend of Xiaoyu's. Alisa was a cyborg recovered from an unknown base that belonged to the Zaibatsu. Alisa, despite being a robot, is very capable of human feelings and conversation, she also has pink hair that splits evenly at the top of her head, and has two different shades. One shade of her hair is longer than the other, and that longer shade is culed a bit to rest on her shoulder.

The girls were having a picnic, since it was Xiaoyu's birthday, and then they were going to play at the amusement park. It was Miharu and Xiaoyu's favorite spot.

Miharu looked to Xiaoyu and asked, "So, Xiao, did you ever talk to Jin about... that?"

Alisa, the newest friend the two girls had made, looked interested, "That? What's 'that' Xiaoyu?"

Xiaoyu blushed at what 'that' actually was, being her crush on Jin. She explained, "My feelings for Jin... I never got that close, I don't think, since he was always doing something or another while we were at school. And him being ahead of me didn't really help either..."

Miharu lightly elbowed her friend, "You know, it'd be romantic if he came by and swept you up on his motorcycle. Especially since it's your birthday!"

Xiaoyu blinked at the idea, and ultimately smiled, "That would be so cool..." She covered her cheeks and sighed. "But now he's the head of the Zaibatsu and trying to destroy the world... he doesn't have time for friends or anything like that... Besides, he's not into me like that."

Since Xiaoyu talked to Miharu about dates and fancy dinners a lot, they often fantasized about doing such things with nonexistent boyfriends that they'd fabricate in their minds. While it was fun and passed the time, it had its downsides as well.

Alisa put a hand on Xiaoyu's shoulder, "Don't worry, Xiaoyu. Today will be extra special. I'm sure of it." She giggled as she told Xiaoyu, hoping not to spoil Jin's surprise.

Miharu agreed with Alisa, but she was oblivious to the fact that Alisa knew Jin was coming to their location. "Alisa's right Xiao. We're here and we are going to have a lot of fun today!"

Alisa and Miharu jumped up to affirm their statements, and Panda tilted her head behind Xiaoyu. The two girls, Alisa and Miharu, start giggling again. Xiaoyu didn't seem the hear the soft hum of a motorcycle engine behind her. Miharu and Alisa giggled more and faced each other before looking back behind Xiaoyu, to make sure that they actually saw the Japanese male across the way, walking toward them.

Jin approached the girls, black suit and sunglasses on. He nodded to the girls who knew he was there and put his hands in his pants pockets. As he did so, the wind blew gently and his duster picked up the wind.

"Hey, Xiao, look behind you." Miharu smiled and pointed behind her Chinese friend.

"Xiaoyu, look." Alisa spoke at the same time as Miharu and also pointed to Jin.

Xiaoyu looked behind her to see Jin. He was smirking and even though he was wearing sunglasses, she knew he was looking right at her. Xiaoyu gasped and giggled before she hugged Jin. He returned her hug and allowed her to pull away.

"May I join you for lunch, Xiao?" Jin tilted his sunglasses so he could peer at the Chinese girl from over the frames.

Xiaoyu lightly jabbed Jin's abdomen, "Of course you can, Jin. You're always welcome here, you're still my friend after all."

Jin nodded and took a spot with the girls, sitting between Panda and Xiaoyu. The group of four, plus Panda, ate the picnic lunch Miharu prepared for them and then they went into the amusement park.

Miharu spoke first as soon at they passed the gates, "Okay! So, Alisa, you're coming with me and Jin, you're going with Xiaoyu in the roller coaster, right?"

Jin nodded smoothly, as if he'd planned this, but Miharu was just good at improvising. "That sounds fine with me. How about you Xiao?"

Xiaoyu looked up at Jin and her eyes twinkled. "Y-yes. That's fine with me too."

Jin looked around the park and spotted the Ferris wheel. "The sun's still too high to go there just yet... Well, Xiao, let's get a move on shall we?"

"Yes... we've got a lot to catch up on you know." Xiaoyu grabbed Jin's hand and led him to a few roller coasters.

Miharu laughed and high fived with Alisa. "That was amazing! I didn't think Jin would actually show up..."

Alisa nodded, "Agreed. How about we go and explore too? We'll meet them back here later on, right?"

"Of course. And if we can't find them, then we can have Panda look. But anyway, let's go Alisa."

On the opposite side of the amusement park, Jin and Xiaoyu manage to get away from the crowd and sit down a for a while. Jin looked Xiaoyu in her eyes, and she smiled timidly.

"Xiao?"

"Yes Jin?"

"Happy birthday."

Xiaoyu blushed and held her cheek, "Thank you, Jin..."

"Oh, Xiao?"

Xiaoyu looked up at Jin, "Yes?"

"How about I take you to dinner tonight, as my gift to you."

Xiaoyu lit up again, "...I'd really like that, Jin."

Jin smirked and nodded, "Then it's a date. Let's finish having fun." Jin stood up and offered his hand to her. She gulped before taking his hand once again and walking hand in hand with him for the duration of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Rivalries

"Nina, did you find out anything about G Corporation?" Jin asked plainly. His hands were locked over his mouth as he addressed the blonde woman.

Nina shook her head as she sat on the opposite side of Jin's large desk in his office. "Not lately. They must be planning something, although I can't completely say what it is..."

Jin closed his eyes, "Well, that doesn't matter... My goals aren't necessarily to destroy G. I just have to destroy Kazuya and rid the world of the Devil Gene. Also, if possible, I want to know if my mother is still alive."

Nina raised a brow at Jin, "Huh, you know... you never really struck me as the 'mama's boy' type..."

Jin sighed and addressed Nina, "Well, my mother is my only family that would probably know what to do about the devil within me." Jin stared blankly ahead, Nina didn't know about Jun's influence on the young man. It was so strong that he was able to suppress the Devil and not kill Heihachi at the end of the fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament.

Nina shrugged, she didn't know about motherly bonds like that, since she wasn't that close to her own mother to begin with, so instead she produced a collection of folders. "Well, how about this, there's a scientist that wants to meet you. His name is Victor Donovan and he has quite the reputation."

Jin studied the files before him on the desk and picked up a collection of photographs of the scientist. "Looks like a shady guy, if you ask me. The type to keep tons of secrets and betray everyone once they've outlived their usefulness."

Nina nodded, "Very shady indeed. He worked under DOATEC and had a secret set of funds put aside for something else. I don't know what exactly he was working with on the side, but his main task was the ultimate bio-weapon. I think he almost succeeded too."

Jin shuffled through more of the files, "Project Alpha? ...Project Epsilon? The Ultimate Fighter? ...Omega Project.. Hm..."

Nina explained a bit more, "Projects Epsilon and Alpha were under the table research developments using live test subjects, countless live subjects, two of which were the only survivors, one for each project. Both survivors are siblings, I believe."

Jin pushed the files back to Nina, "Hm... Well, he seems to know what he's doing... somewhat... I'll send you to meet him, in my place. I'll have a unit on standby as well, should things get out of hand."

Nina nodded. "I'll send him a line and ask where we should meet."

Jin turned away slightly, "Please do. I've got more intelligence to gather here while you're away."

Nina waved and collected the files before leaving the office. Jin took a deep breath and rested his head on his left hand, propping it on the arm rest of his seat. He glared straight ahead for a time before he tapped the desk and pulled up a series of screens and a key board, looking up all he could find on DOATEC and Donovan. While he was getting the information, one of his soldiers sent a message.

'The lightning scarlet strikes twice..'

Jin forwarded the message to Nina, and got the reply, 'Understood. Meeting at the following coordinates...'

Jin read the coordinates and put them in a map viewer. "...The ruins of the Tri-tower incident two years ago? Hm..." He furrowed his brows and pulled more files about DOATEC up in the following moments.

Night fell over the Ruins of the DOATEC Tri-Towers, which was once a very impressive building, as it held the record of 'tallest building' for a short time, that is, before the ninja assault during the fourth Dead or Alive World Combat Championship.

Nina arrived at the scene with the Tekken Force effectively hidden in various places around the area and she was met by another woman. This woman had short snow white hair, steel gray eyes and wore a white bodysuit with black shoulder guards, white gloves, black stripes running down the sides as well as a red snake print running from her left shoulder circling down to her right leg. She completed the outfit with a pair of high heeled black ankle boots. The zipper on her body suit was down to her waist, revealing her black lace bra.

"Who are you?" The snow haired woman asked with an English accent as she put a hand on her hip, lightly sizing up her potential next victim.

Nina folded her arms and replied, "Give me your name, and I'll give you mine."

The white haired lady nodded and stepped forward, her hand extended to shake, "I'm Christie, messenger for Mr. Donovan."

Nina looked at Christie's hand for a second before deciding to shake. "Nina, messenger and right hand of Mr. Kazama."

Christie smiled, and something about the smile hit a nerve with Nina. Christie's smile looked quite a bit like Anna's smile. She was immediately put on edge, and Nina's senses went on high alert.

Anna Williams is Nina's younger sister by two years. The two women are basically polar opposites. Anna is a brunette with a short bob cut and peach skin, where Nina is a bit more pale with long blonde hair in a ponytail. Anna's outfit of choice was a red Chinese dress with a dragon design, matching long gloves that extended to the middle of her biceps as well as matching heels. She also wore black stockings and. Both sisters have blue-gray eyes.

In the distance, a bit out of the range of Nina's Tekken Force unit, the woman in question, Anna Williams, was actually scoping out the meeting. She had a few pieces of equipment, a directional microphone with an added extension to cover her distance, and a favorite weapon of hers, a bazooka. The bazooka was outfitted with a laser pointer and a scope with high zoom capacity, and a few other hidden tricks, however, she was simply using the weapon for observation purposes right now, so the laser sight was switched off.

"Ah, dear sister... You seem a bit tense..." Anna commented with a very sly grin.

Nina's attention was diverted back to the assassin before her as she spoke once again. "My client, Mr. Donovan wishes to propose a sort of collaboration, with the Mishima Zaibatsu..."

Nina narrowed her eyes, "Okay, I'm listening. What can he offer to us?" She was now watching Christie much closer, for any signs of a potential ambush.

"Well, I'm sure you've heard of the Alpha project that was almost completed here, right? Well Mr. Donovan believes his data for the project can help your boss out of his... situation with the devil."

Nina hummed, mulling over the vague offer, before she replied, "Hm... Well, I'll have to discuss more of the terms..."

Anna, back off into the distance, was talking with Kazuya via wireless communicator.

"So, what now boss man? Jin's not here, just my sister and some other woman. Sounds like they're trying to make a deal for something."

Kazuya replied from the other end, "...Interrupt the transaction... Make sure to leave a few marks too, but make sure to make it seem like you're acting alone."

Anna smiled again, "Of course." After her response, she loaded a small missile into her bazooka and used the scope to aim at the ground beneath the two assassins and she fired.

Nina and Christie both stopped in their tracks as the shot from Anna's bazooka surely got their attention, and blew the two women back from one another in a large burst that left smoke in it's wake. Once the smoke cleared Anna strode onto the scene with her usual grace and charm, mostly directing her attention toward Nina.

The explosion was a surprise for both women, but they managed to avoid any real injury, just little bits of debris tore at their clothes a bit but nothing more. Some fire started to make itself known around their immediate area as well.

Not too far away, an auburn haired teen was digging around the ruins, not too far from where the transaction was being held.

Kasumi, former princess of the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan, was searching the rubble of the Tri-towers for something, and judging be her face, the item must have been quite important. However, her search was halted as she heard an explosion.

"A bazooka? Did someone find out I was back here?" Kasumi whispered to herself. She thought about her options, staying and trying to find what she was missing, or escape to live another day.

Kasumi sighed and decided to call it quits on her search, and she turned tail to run, her blood turned cold when she turned around; a silhouette with purple hair and glowing rose colored eyes and a black and purple ninja suit was suddenly before her.

"...A-ayane?"

Ayane, Kasumi's half sister and leader of the Mugen Tenshin Hajin-mon sect stood on a pile of destroyed concrete and sneered at her sister, somewhat.

"Yeah, it's me. I spared you during the destruction of this place," The young tengu began, and waved her index finger as she paused, "But...! My mission is still in place, so, you might wanna let me at least take you prisoner for a proper ruling by Hayate-sama."

Kasumi shook her head, "I can't do that..." Ayane sighed as a response, and Kasumi continued, "I still have things I need to do. Please let me go..."

Ayane put her hands on her hips, and replied with a tone that wasn't very kind, "As much as I'd like to, for old times' sake, I can't. I'm being hounded by the Tenshin-Mon sect and the elders about you. So I have someone tailing me to see if I'm actually trying to catch you." The young kunoichi sighed again, "So, prepare yourself, Nuke-nin. Since you aren't coming quietly, I shall be your judge and jury."

Both sisters got into their respective stances and charged at one another, just as another shot from Anna's bazooka erupted on the other side of the rubble.

Nina grunted as she was pushed into an exposed steel beam, bouncing from it and landing quite roughly on her feet. The explosion from the bazooka was too close for comfort, but Nina still managed to dodge. Anna's strange smile grew as she raised the weapon up to defend against Christie's attempted assault from Anna's right side.

Anna kicked the base of her bazooka so that it flipped the whole weapon into the air, forcing the other assassin to fall back. Anna dashed in, as the bazooka flipped in the air and assaulted her with a string of three high kicks and a rainbow kick which allowed her to flip in the air and catch her bazooka.

Anna's bazooka had a few rounds of small salvos ready, and while airborne, Anna made use of one of the mini salvos, raining down tiny, but deadly, missiles on the two opposing women. Nina was out of breath from being bounced from metal, but regained enough of her energy to take cover behind a medium sized wall. The tiny explosions popped into a larger one, as Anna shot another main missile again, this time aiming for Christie.

With the loud explosion came a large surplus of raining debris as well, which was sent into all directions in the air, and raining down even harder than it was before. When Anna landed, she was rushed by Nina.

Nina's charge consisted of two straight pokes and a roundhouse kick that wrapped around Anna's head and flipped her onto the concrete ground. Nina flipped over her sister and twisted Anna's legs in the figure four leg lock, albeit for a brief moment, before Anna broke the hold and kicked her sister away. Anna rolled backwards to get back on her feet when Christie threw a small needle right past her face.

Anna barely evaded the needle, it was so small, but she did retaliate with an easy kick on the ground, knocking a small stone into the air, taking the next needle thrown by the third party. Anna caught the small stone and threw it back at the snowy haired assassin just moments before Nina got back to her feet and snatched Anna's arm and threw her to the ground.

Anna landed on her back with a hard thud, easily breaking some of the old building below them, and she rose back to her feet quickly to avoid whatever Christie had in her hand. Anna grabbed Christie by her arm, the arm that had some type of weapon, and tripped her. Nina came back behind Anna, but was belted with the body of Christie and both assassins were hurled a small distance away. Anna sighed and walked over to her bazooka. She fired the last two salvos from the side compartments and checked her remaining ammo. The two small salvos of mini-missiles flew in all directions, even out of the battlefield, but most of them managed to hit their mark, and yet both assassins were still standing, if somewhat shakily.

"One shot left..." Anna sighed and took the last shot, aimed at the snowy haired assassin and fired.

As the head of the missile emerged, Christie barely produced a small knife and threw it, with her usual dead accuracy, which forced the missile to detonate prematurely, catching the two feuding sisters off guard, and injuring Anna indefinitely as she was knocked into the air.

The explosion caused much more damage than originally intended, since the few feet of standing walls of the remains of the Tri-towers began to crumble around the area. With Anna gone, Nina shook off the dizziness that was eating into her consciousness, and stole a glance around the area as it collapsed even further. Christie was no where to be found either, which was a little less than expected.

"Well, that could have ended a variety of ways..." Nina stated plainly before walking off the scene.

Jin radioed in after Nina got back on her bike, "Nina, report."

"Not much to say, except Anna got in the way. Although I'm not quite sure if she survived that explosion or not..."

Jin wasn't surprised, "So she found you again?"

Nina sighed, almost in an annoyed manner, "Yes, but I thought you had sentries posted around the area. How did she get through all of them?"

Jin shook his head, despite being on the phone, "I'm not sure. Maybe it could have been that other woman... Although, this simply raises more questions about Donovan's accountability..."

"He might just be trying to use you to get more DNA samples for his projects, you know."

"I'm well aware, which is why I'm going to try to locate the president of DOATEC and see what she has to offer... But what bother's me is how your sister even knew where you were this late in the night..."

Nina replied as if it was common knowledge, "It was expected that my dear sister would cross paths with me again, but I didn't expect that other woman to be prepared the way that she was... Although, I still don't think we should side with this Donovan guy..."

"I agree. I'm not sure why, and your reasons are just as valid. I think we should see what DOATEC has to offer in terms of assistance as well. Since he did defect from that organization... and they funded his strange 'projects'..."

Nina smirked and sped her bike up. "Well, we will just have to see how the pieces fall into place this time, won't we?"

After the Williams Sisters' battle conclusion, a helicopter swooped in a few minutes after Nina left the scene. Anna forced her way out from below what looked like the remains of a roof, or ceiling, and tossed the remains of her now destroyed bazooka into the distance.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect that..." Anna grunted as she struggled to stand up and clutched her waist. Not only was her dress and stockings ripped, but she was injured in more ways than just one, with a bloody side and more.

With a sweeping glance, Anna looked among the ruins once more before a ladder came tumbling down from the chopper overhead. Anna looked around one more time before spotting something purple beneath a toppled steel beam and she'd headed for it.

"What the? It's just a little girl..."

Ayane's form was battered and her forehead was covered in blood; her body and outfit cut and ripped and covered in dust. Anna assumed that the young kunoichi was an innocent in her attack, and despite the massive struggle it was, she took her aboard the helicopter that was waiting.

"...I can already hear him getting on me about this little predicament now..." Anna sighed, and smiled. Wherever she was going next was most likely a base or someplace to stay, and whoever she was thinking about was most likely close to her. She looked up at the chopper as it hovered overhead and dug Ayane's wounded body out of the new rubble of the Tri-Tower Ruins and began to slowly climb the ladder.

Anna's body seemed to slow down for a brief second, "...There was poison on that knife... that white haired woman was definitely out for blood, whether it was intended for Nina or not is a later matter... but for now I have to be careful not to make it circulate too much inside..." and as a result of her diagnosis, she pulled on the side of the rope ladder and the ladder pulled itself up and she was pulled into the chopper and the soldiers on board began to provide little in the ways of medical treatment for her and the injured kunoichi.

After the chaotic night was over for the three parties, DOATEC Headquarters was slightly abuzz as a young lady entered the topmost office, which belonged to current president, Helena Douglas.

"What is it?" Helena's soprano french accent carried throughout the large room.

"Um, Lady Helena, I have something to report..." The young looking blonde girl answered as she entered the office's large oak double doors.

"What's the matter Marie?" Helena turned around to look at one of her many personal assistants.

"Someone was just accessing confidential DOATEC information from a heavily encrypted line... It was brief, so there may be a challenge in deciphering who actually was responsible..."

Helena nodded, "I understand, but please do what you can. I would like to start preparations for the Fifth Dead or Alive Tournament soon, and I'd like to have all things in order before I decide to move forward with this plan..."

Marie Rose nodded quickly, "Yes, Lady Helena... Right away."

As Marie Rose closed Helena's doors, Helena returned her gaze to the window of the office. "Could Donovan be up to his old tricks once again? I can't take this lightly, so I'll need to tread softly for a while. I think I should look into this other Tournament a bit more as well, and see what I can figure out about the Mishima Zaibatsu... It may be beneficial to ally with such a strong military power... but could that tarnish the new reputation I'm trying to build for my company?"

Helena's eyes once again wandered away from the window, but this time she rested her eyes on her computer monitor, on a photograph of the current head of the Mishim Zaibatsu, Jin Kazama.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Family Bonds

Anna was dropped off, accompanied by a G Corporation Guard, and was greeted by a young man who was of chocolate skin, fiery red hair and crimson eyes. The guard looked at him until he relieved the man from his duty. Zell took both girls, Ayane and Anna from the man, putting Ayane on his shoulder and Anna's arms draped over him.

Zell kicked the door closed and took the two females into Anna's living room, placing the girls in separate places, Ayane's body on the loveseat and Anna on the couch. Anna was a bit more conscious than she was the night before, but she was still really weak.

Zell looked at both ladies and asked, "Ms. Anna, where did you find this girl?"

Anna took a breath, "She was at the old Tri-tower ruins from that attack two years ago... That's where Nina was last night..." She laughed weakly, then it turned into a cough, "Am I ever glad to see you..."

Zell sighed, "...So, you saw Nina again, huh... I knew she was out for blood, but... did Nina really do all of this to you?"

Anna shook her head, "...No... There was another assassin there with her."

Zell looked over the woman, she was riddled with cuts and a few burns. He sighed, "You should really be more careful when dealing with Nina, Ms. Anna..." Anna's dress was torn and her stockings were ripped to pieces, revealing all of her legs. Zell asked, "What happened? You got jumped by them?"

Anna barely shook her head, "...No..." and she smiled a bit, "The tables turned on me when that other woman threw that knife..."

Zell started running his hands on her body, using his ninjutsu to remove her burns and some of her cuts. "Whatever she threw at you was intended to kill you slowly, and was poisoned..." He sighed and stood up. A translucent grandfather clock appeared and he shoved his hand into it and it disappeared.

Anna barely leaned her head up, "...I felt it... the poison, I mean..." She sighed, "I messed up..."

Zell added, "You're slipping, Ms. Anna..." He folded his arms and left momentarily, then returned with a few first aid things and began to treat the rest of her injuries.

"I know... I got too carried away... I shouldn't have gotten so excited." Anna almost whined. She wasn't ungrateful, in fact she was very pleased to have someone around who cared as much as he did for her. Usually, he'd scold her for something like this, knowing that there had to be serious circumstances that would force her into such a condition.

Zell sighed and ran his hands over her body again, and spoke with a gentle voice, "Be quiet. I'm just glad you aren't in worse condition. I might not have been able to save you if it was anything more..."

Anna shivered and let Zell's fingers dance across her skin. Anna's body was sensitive to Zell's touch for some reason. She simply thought it was because he'd saved her twice before and that she was used to it.

Zell spoke again, "So, Ms. Anna, what did you learn?"

Anna's body continued shivering, but she replied, "Nina was making contact with someone, that assassin that did this to me... I understand that the other assassin was working for another party."

Zell raised a brow, "Another party? Any ideas?"

Anna shook her head, "The intel that I had was inconclusive, but I think it may have been that DOATEC group... but I at least completed my objective... which was to invade the interaction and spoil the meeting..."

Zell was almost done treating Anna's wounds, "Well, at least you're not dead..."

Anna chuckled again weakly, "This is the third time you've saved my life..."

Zell smirked, "Yeah... The first time was at the Ski Resort..."

Anna nodded and moved her left arm, to try to touch Zell's face, "The second time was a few months after that... when Nina tried to kill me..."

Zell sighed and moved forward, as per Anna's silent request. "I saw the laser on you and pushed you... I almost got hit in the process though..."

Anna sighed as she recollected, "I remember. You pushed me out the way, a bit too close for comfort, and since Nina's not one to miss shots like that... She still managed to get a hit. She grazed you."

Zell moved down to Anna's thighs, stroking them gently before he began to apply wrap to them. "It was just a graze. It barely broke my skin." He shrugged and looked Anna in her eyes before he resumed tending to her legs.

Anna looked into Zell's red eyes. "You know, I thought those were contacts that you had... they go really well with your chocolate skin..."

Zell shook his head, "Nope, they're real. They're just a result of what was done to save me."

Anna smiled and cupped his face with both hands, pulling his attention back to her head, "Well, whatever it was, I'm grateful for it, for saving you..."

Anna pulled the young man close, and their lips met.

After the kiss, Zell finished treating Anna and turned to Ayane. "Now, all that's left is to figure out what happened to our little guest here..."

Anna nodded and sat up, "Yeah, that little kunoichi over there... When I was checking over her injuries on the chopper... I noticed that she had gotten some of those injuries from a fight... Whatever her reason for being there, she was in a battle before I found her... And I'm sure having an old building almost crush her didn't help."

Zell looked Ayane over and focused his energy in his right hand, scanning her body for all injuries that were not visible to the naked eye and mending them, "What do you mean 'almost'? Her body looks like she was buried and almost shredded alive." The same grandfather clock appeared once again and Zell shoved his hand into it and it vanished as soon as it came.

"I noticed that as well... like whoever she fought was just as skilled as she was, or even better." Anna tried to stand, but was apparently in no shape to do so, as she stumbled and fell back onto her seat.

Zell looked up at Anna before returning his attention to Ayane. "Ms. Anna, why does Nina hate you so much?"

Anna sighed, "While I can't really say for sure, we were kind of competing since we were little... but things kind of got bad when our father died, after the first King of Iron Fist Tournament."

Zell asked, without looking at the woman, "So you were both close to you father then?" He pulled out some more medical tape and began taking care of the other wounds of the lavender haired kunoichi.

Anna nodded, "I guess you could say that... but Nina was more a Daddy's girl than I was... I mastered my mother's style, Aikido, before going and training under our father. Nina knows more of our father's moves, and I think she was close to mastering his fighting style."

Zell moved Ayane's arms and wrapped her biceps, "So, you know each other's moves then?"

Anna shook her head, "Yes and no... We know each other's basic moves, but not the more advanced moves of the other's style. I started under father at thirteen, while Nina had started at nine..."

Zell paused in treating Ayane for a moment, "Well, Nina was probably jealous of your bond with your mother, and you of her bond with your father, so that would be reason enough to challenge one another..."

Anna sighed, "To children maybe.."

Zell resumed his treatment, "But in a way, it would make sense, since you were both fighters, like your parents."

Anna leaned and closed her eyes, "Possibly... but whatever the case... Nina was always better. I've never actually beat her. We usually fought to a draw, or until she won."

The statement was in the air for a moment as Zell moved to tend to Ayane's other arm. Anna sighed. "I don't really like fighting my sister, but since it's the only way to get attention from her, it's all I have..."

Zell sighed quickly, "Why not try to talk to her?"

Anna slowly adjusted herself, so that she was lying back now, "I tried that after we woke up from the Cryosleep..." Anna remembered visiting her father's grave with Nina. "When we woke up from the Cryosleep, Nina lost all of her memories, so I gave her fake ones, in hopes of having a normal sister... It worked, for a while... until we visited father's grave."

Zell finished Anna's story for her, "When you two got there, all of her real memories came flooding back and she beat you down?"

Anna nodded, somewhat, "Yes. I hadn't even seen it coming, and all of a sudden she was back to normal. I was glad, that she was back to her old self, but then, I was sad that we had to resort back to fighting for the thrills... She vanished after the third King of Iron Fist Tournament though, for a time..."

Zell finished taking care of Ayane's injuries, "That's quite a shame... but at least you did have some fun with it right?"

Anna sighed again, "Yes. But if it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead right now, and on top of that, if it wasn't for that sadistic sister of mine, you wouldn't have even saved me in the first place..."

Zell shrugged and picked Ayane up, holding her bridal style and re-adjusted her so that she was laying on her back, "Well, that may be true, but let's not wander down that path, Ms. Anna..."

Anna smiled a little and turned her head to look at him, "... I don't think I told you happy birthday last week either..."

Zell shook his head, "You didn't, but I don't mind, since you came back in one piece. That's all I really cared about."

Anna wanted to laugh at that, but she smiled instead, "You can be really sweet you know that?"

Zell's reply was simple, and he placidly looked her in the eye from across the room, "...So far you're the only one to tell me that."

"Well, it's true, at least for me anyway." Anna spoke softly, as if she was falling asleep.

Zell's plain face broke a little, into a small smile as he lowered his head at her comment. He picked Anna up and took the older woman upstairs to the master bedroom, and undressed her.

She smiled and looked at him with glazed eyes, the medicine was starting to work it's magic, "Zell, don't try anything funny with me while I'm asleep, okay?"

Zell shook his head with a slight smirk, "I won't, Ms. Anna." He laid her on the bed and took out one of her other shirts that she used to sleep in and put her in it. The shirt was an old short sleeved button up shirt that was long enough to cover everything down to her thighs.

Zell stripped the drowsy woman down bare before he put the shirt on her and buttoned it so that all the buttons, starting fourth from the top were closed up, just the way she liked it, and he left her to rest.

He stopped at the door and looked at the sleeping 42 year old woman. "Rest well, Ms. Anna. I'll be back to check on you in a moment."

He went through her dresser and found a purple nightgown and took it. He closed Anna's bedroom door and silently strode down the steps and returned to Ayane with the gown, dressing her in it, since her ninja outfit was practically ruined.

Zell looked Ayane over and noted, "Huh, she's not that far off from Ms. Anna in measurements..."

Ayane's eyes opened easily and she stared up at him. He looked blankly at her and lay her back on the loveseat. She asked, "What were you doing?"

Zell stared at the girl for a moment, "Well, I was addressing your injuries, so maybe you could thank me for that?"

Ayane sat up and folded her arms, ignoring the various degrees of pain the gesture was causing her. "I don't remember asking for your help."

Zell shrugged, "So? Is helping out such a bad thing to you? If it is, then that's too bad."

Ayane wanted to jump on the guy, but she couldn't for various reasons. "...It's not that... Sorry. I was in the middle of an important mission..." She looked down, as if to feign innocent.

Zell turned and walked away, "Well, I'm not upset, so its alright, I suppose. Just give me your name, so I can address you properly, hm?" He looked back from the hall leading to the kitchen before continuing forward.

"It's Ayane." She replied somewhat arrogantly, yet gratefully at the same time.

Zell looked at the floor of the kitchen, as if he'd heard the name somewhere. "Ayane, huh... Well, the name's Zell. I'll be back in a second."

Ayane didn't gasp at the boy's name, but she did feel like she'd heard it somewhere before, she'd been having a lot of cases like that recently. "Zell? Are you a ninja by any chance?" By the time she finished her question he was walking back to her with a tray with two cups, one huge and the other rather small, filled with tea.

Zell nodded and sat the tray down on the small coffee table, "I am."

Ayane looked at him, "You're American, so how the hell can you be a ninja?"

Zell smirked, "I am a ninja, but, not by normal means."

Ayane folded her arms, "Well, obviously. Explain that, 'cuz I don't even remember hearing about that."

Zell nodded, "As you wish. But first, would you like some tea?"

Ayane looked at the two cups of tea and nodded, "Yeah, lemme have the big mug."

He shrugged, "Fine. Here." He reached for the large mug that was intended for his own consumption and gave it to the well endowed kunoichi beside him.

"So, what's your story?"

Zell sighed and spoke plainly, "I was an orphan with a lethal disease, some guy came from overseas saying that he could help me... things get kinda blurry there, but then I remember waking up in a ninja village."

Ayane raised a brow, "...Ninja Village huh? Who's the clan head?"

Zell sipped from the smaller cup, "The clan's dead now. But the last head of the clan was Hotsuma-sama."

Ayane stopped drinking her tea, "...Wait... you're that Oboro survivor that was sent to the village to request help... aren't you?"

Zell sipped his tea once more, and replied calmly, "The only village I went to for help was the 'prestigious' Mugen Tenshin Village..."

Ayane blinked. That's how she recognized him. He was the messenger who begged for an audience with Shiden but was refused since he was an obvious outsider, despite the fact that he'd had official Oboro clan gear on. Ayane was helping at the gate that day and she was the one who refused him.

Zell almost glared at her for gaping at him, "What? Where do you hail from?"

Ayane lowered her head somewhat, guilt crept up her spine and she shivered. She spoke almost in a whisper. "I'm the head of the Hajin-mon Sect of the Mugen Tenshin Village..."

Zell sighed and sat his cup down. "...Well, thanks to your arrogant village, my master is dead, and so is my village."

Ayane looked up at him, "...But you're a gaijin... that's not even your real home..." Her tone of voice was something of a cross between confusion and irritation.

Zell shook his head, "That doesn't mean that I didn't have a home in the Oboro clan. They opened their doors to me and they trained me in their techniques, even despite the fact that I was a foreigner. I was an orphan, and that was the first real place I could call home, but it's gone now... Thanks to your stupid village."

Ayane continued with her agitated tone, "So what? Those lame Oboro clansmen broke the treaty with the Mugen Tenshin generations ago!"

Zell looked at her, "That's the point. It was generations ago. Way before any of the current bastard heads in that village were even born."

Ayane looked offended, despite the fact that she may have agreed with his point of view, "...What's that supposed to mean?"

Zell sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose, "The treaty was simply a part of history... hundreds of years old. Why didn't those arrogant bastards just help my master? I pleaded for them to help... even if it was just one ninja but those bastards turned me down... I have nothing but hate for the lot of them."

Ayane almost protested, but she thought about it, her village had contempt for her as well, simply because of how she was born. She was basically in the same boat that he was, but maybe not completely. She was silent after that, allowing Zell's last words to hang in the air.

Zell sighed and put his cup back on the tray. "...So what now? You wanna run home to your little village now?"

Ayane had the mug in her hands. She shook her head slowly. "I can't go back... not until I complete my mission..."

Zell stared at the ceiling, trying to compose himself, "What mission is that? You gotta kill someone or something?"

Ayane huffed, "It's actually a series of confidential objectives, thank you very much."

Zell stared at her again, his crimson eyes locked with her rose colored ones. "Well, I don't sense any other people around here, save for the three of us. So, if you were being watched, then you don't need to be such a tight wad since no one's here."

The lavender kunoichi couldn't move, but she wanted to beat this guy down. He wasn't even flinching at her words, which could usually tear any man down to size. "Listen you! I don't give a damn about what you have to say about the village! I was just as mistreated as any outsider!"

Zell stood up and walked off with the two cups and tray, "Yeah, like the head of a side clan would know what it's like to be hated by everyone..."

Ayane wasn't as susceptible to the side effects of the medication, but she did feel a bit drowsy. "...You don't know a damned thing... I was an orphan too... I was hated by everyone just because I was born!"

Zell shook his head. "Tch, right. Like I'll believe that." He disappeared down the hall to the kitchen and began to take care of things there.

Ayane, while still furious, ended up slowly curling up toward herself, as if she was trying to preserve heat, or console herself. She rested her head on her knees. She was feeling a bit better, and with her own skills, she'd make a full recovery in little time. She mumbled to herself, "It's not my fault I was born cuz some stupid guy was jealous of his younger brother... I didn't ask for this... I never told Raidou to rape Ayame... Then I get disowned because of it? That's bullshit if I ever knew it... I hate them for that... it wasn't my fault... not any of it... but you wouldn't understand that either... now would you..? No one was there for me, not even my own mother, or my stupid princess sister..."

Zell's return was very sudden, since he was right behind her, leaning on the seat she was in, but was undetected due to her dulled senses. He knew hatred for majority of his life, but somehow he became numb to it all. Possibly due to his experimentation or the simple feat of being accepted into a ninja family. Zell actually saw the pain that the lavender kunoichi had endured when he looked into her eyes. It was familiar to his own, in a way.

Ayane sighed and spoke softly again, "...I wish I didn't have to kill Genra... I'm sure he would have been able to cheer me up, just like old times... he was the only father I ever had..." It sounded as if she wanted to cry, a little.

A few minutes passed and Zell walked off again, and in that time, Ayane began to drift off, her head began to droop and lean, until she'd finally slipped into dream land. Zell returned with a sigh and unfolded his arms. "Well, you and I might be a lot more alike than I thought... but still..."

He grabbed a blanket and tucked the agitated kunoichi in as best he could, making sure she'd at least be snug before he took his own leave, returning to bed with Anna for the remainder of the day.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Path of Ninja

The Mugen Tenshin Village was abuzz as the young ninja returned from his failed mission. He returned with his head lowered and he dreaded what was to come for him.

The young ninja was met by the current head of the village, Hayate, and he spoke to the ninja, "Meet me for a debriefing in ten minutes."

The ninja nodded his head obediently, "Yes, Hayate-sama..." Something in the ninja's voice said he was disappointed with himself.

In the few minutes that followed, the ninja got changed into more ninja gear and this time wore a mask and hood, concealing his face completely. He returned to Hayate's home and immediately knelt after entering the main hall. Hayate approached the main hall from the opposite side and was accompanied by a small group. Hayate was joined by his old friend, Ryu Hayabusa, Ryu's apprentice, Momiji, and his parents, Ayame and Shiden.

Hayate is the eighteenth master of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan, a position held by his father Shiden, as the seventeenth head of the clan. He is the only son of Shiden and Ayame. Hayate is a muscular young man, with slightly tanned skin, a slim face with a slightly squared chin, broad shoulders, and narrow brown eyes. His hair is light brown and style with a center parting and reaches his jawline.

Hayate's old friend and greatest ally, Ryu Hayabusa, was known as the super ninja and is a member of the nearly dead Hayabusa ninja clan and is the last heir in the main family. Physically, Ryu is a young man in his mid twenties, and is an inch shorter than Hayate, who stands at 5'11". He is in peak physical condition with quite a muscular build. He donned his usual Black Falcon ninja suit and the only thing that was visible on his person was his eyes, which were green with a golden hue.

Momiji, Ryu's apprentice, was also of the Hayabusa ninja clan, however she was once a shrine maiden, and after losing her older sister, Kureha, in an attack on her village while she was away. After she found out about the assault on her village, she sought Ryu and asked him to train her. Momiji is a tall young woman, at the age of 21 with hazel eyes and long black hair which is usually kept in a ponytail.

Shiden is a middle aged man, as his only and eldest son is 25 years of age, however, he is a spry and very healthy man. His age only seems to show through his long gray hair though.

Ayame, the mother of Ayane, Kasumi and Hayate, is a pale-skinned woman with a round face and soft features. She has green eyes and dark brown hair, which she usually wears loose and long with a short front fringe. Despite her age, she has always looked as beautiful as she does today, as if she stopped aging after a certain point in time. Ayame's usual outfit is that of a traditional kimono.

Hayate sat in the middle of the altar-like room, peering over the ninja who was to give his report.

"Now, tell me what you have to report."

"Sir." The ninja complied with his leader's demand and stood before he began to recite his tale, "Well, I began following the head of the Hajin-mon after the Tri-tower attack settled down, as you instructed, and she immediately began to search once more for Kasumi-hime, er, the Nuke-nin... but was unable to locate her for a time. It was a few months before the first confrontation afterwards. A few words, well, threats, were spoken and then Kasumi-hime pleaded, but the pleas fell on deaf ears."

Hayate and his company listened intently, while Ayame, the parent to the three children, Hayate, Kasumi and Ayane in that order, looked a bit fearful. Hayate was a bit more tense than usual, sitting with his legs folded and his chin resting on his right fist, while Shiden was a bit more passive, as were Hayabusa and Momiji.

The ninja continued his report, "Their battle was to a draw, but Kasumi-hime used a smoke bomb and escaped. Ayane was a bit furious at Kasumi-hime's escape, but shortly fell unconscious afterward, possibly due to her injuries and the chemicals in Kasumi-hime's smoke bomb. She was out cold for a week before she even regained her senses. I tended to her injuries with a few medical ninjutsu, then disappeared back into the shadows. Ayane's search began again, but with a seemingly wavered resolve, as though she doubted herself. We again encountered Kasumi-hime a few days ago, the most recent activity, and she was at the ruins of the Tri-tower, looking for something, at least it seemed that way."

The ninja paused on his report, and Hayate asked, "What else did you notice about... Ayane? Was she more on edge or anything? Or was she a bit weaker in any way?"

The ninja had confusion in his voice, "I cannot recall, Hayate-sama, forgive me."

Hayate waved off the apology, "No need. Is there more?"

The ninja nodded, "Yes, while following the two, they began to engage in battle once more at the ruins, however, there was a transaction going on, not too far from where they were battling, and immediately, there were shots fired in the distance, and I believe that whatever that other group was doing had went wrong... but as that happened, missiles rained down on my location and there was a bigger explosion where Kasumi-hime and Ayane were fighting... After those missiles came down, I lost visual on Ayane, and Kasumi-hime had disappeared. That's all for my report."

Hayate nodded, "Excellent. I can see where our next few plans should happen... Excellent work. You can leave now." The ninja nodded and vanished immediately.

Hayate stood up from his sitting position and turned to his company. While he tried to hide it, he was concerned about his half sister, Ayane, just as much as he was concerned with his little sister, Kasumi's, well being. Hayabusa and his parents noticed this very subtle change in his facial expression. Ayame was the first one to speak on it.

"Hayate, dear, what troubles you?"

Hayate shook his head, "It's nothing mother... I just can't help but be cautious about our circumstances... and now that they've gone missing, at the same time, I'm worried."

Ayame sighed and hugged her oldest child. "This must be getting to you again... But we can figure it out... Just take some time to prepare a plan and we will help as much as we can. We're your family after all."

Hayate looked at his mother, then to his father, a bit reluctantly, and nodded to his mother. "Yes, mother... I'm going to take a walk, Ryu, would you and Momiji care to walk with me?"

Ryu nodded and Momiji followed suit. Ryu spoke, "Let us aid in calming your fleeting mind my friend."

The two ninja and shrine maiden left the home and Shiden looked to his wife, both of them exchanged looks before she walked into Shiden's arms.

In the nearby forest, Ryu, Hayate and Momiji were walking at a little more than a snail's pace. Hayate cupped his chin and mulled over his options. "Ryu, my good friend, may I ask you to reprise your role as my sister's guard?"

Ryu nodded, "Of course. Protecting Kasumi is a bit more of a priority as of late, seeing as we can't fully trust that we took care of the good scientist."

Hayate nodded gratitude, "Many thanks, many thanks..." He turned to Momiji and asked, "Now, may I ask a favor of you Momiji?"

Momiji looked at Hayate before bowing her head, "Yes sir, whatever you need."

Hayate nodded, "Very well. I need you to track down Ayane, make sure she's safe and tag along with her. Her new mission is to simply come back to the village alive. I can't help but get the feeling something isn't right..."

Momiji looked at the village head and nodded, "Understood, Hayate-sama. Are there any other objectives?"

"No, that's all. Make sure my sister's life is secure and help her come back to the village."

Momiji nodded and went her own way. Ryu and Hayate stared at one another before Ryu spoke, "Hm... asking the assistance of TWO Dragon Ninja... Things must be quite grave in your mind..."

With a nod, Hayate replied, "I'm not too happy with this, but something was bothering me ever since that attack... like it was intended to happen..."

Ryu raised a brow beneath his ninja hood, "Like using us as pawns?"

Another nod followed from Hayate. "It's strange... I know, but that's what I feel... And after Kasumi's DNA was taken, I have to make sure that Ayane's DNA stays with us. We don't need another Alpha-152 roaming about... especially since the first one managed to escape somehow."

Ryu understood the paranoia of his friend, "I see what fuels your unease, and I can assure you that I'll find her and protect her with my life, as always."

"I'll have to find some way to repay you my friend... things had settled down, but now we have to worry about this again... troubling times might be returning to us..." Hayate sighed and lowered his head.

"Whatever comes, we will be able to beat it, I assure you." Ryu put his hand on his friend's shoulder, and as if it was what he'd needed, Hayate nodded firmly.

Ryu Hayabusa nodded back to his friend before taking his own leave. Hayate walked a bit further into the forest and turned around to find his ninja, the one who was given the mission to tail Ayane to make sure she wasn't committing treason against her village, approaching him.

"...Akihiko? What brings you here?" Hayate asked.

Akihiko was a ninja whose family was once close to Hayate's family, and Akihiko was supposed to have an arranged marriage with Kasumi once she was of proper age, which was before Akihiko's family was exiled for 'dirty' dealings with DOATEC just after Akihiko's fourth birthday. His name was different then as well, being Katsu Rin, but now he went by the new name, Akihiko Yashida. He was given the task of tailing Ayane as a means to start his road to repairing the damage of his family's past.

Akihiko sighed and removed his ninja hood, revealing his light orange hair and hazel eyes which had a small hint of red in them. "Hayate-sama, I'm worried about Kasumi-hime..."

Hayate sighed, "I am too... honestly, I'm concerned about both of my sisters... however, I doubt you'll be able to do anything to help further, Akihiko..."

Akihiko shook his head, "...Hayate-sama, with all due respect, I'll have to disagree with you there... Please, give me a mission to find Kasumi-hime, or at least resume my mission of tailing Ayane-dono? I have to help secure the safety of the village. It's my mission."

Hayate looked into the ninja's eyes, "...If you fail, then you will have to forfeit your life... you are aware of this, right?"

Akihiko nodded, "...Yes... but you know I won't fail, right?"

Hayate shook his head, "DOATEC and especially Donovan are tricky targets to track, even for myself... are you absolutely sure about this? They could be the ones ho have taken my sisters..."

Akihiko nodded again, "Sir, I have a great desire to restore my family's reputation within the village... and to regain the honor of having Kasumi-hime's hand... I cannot fail, regardless of what happens... You see? I have far too much riding on the coming turn of events..."

Hayate sensed the resolve as he mention Kasumi's name. He sighed and folded his arms, "Akihiko Yashida, you're mission objectives are as follows,"

Akihiko stood at attention and awaited his objectives, Hayate continued, "Find Ayane and confirm her intentions; Assist in making sure she makes it back to the village in one piece; optional is finding Kasumi and confirming her status, but it's not mandatory... Also, if you encounter any of Donovan's agents, take them out without hesitation."

"...Hayate-sama, I have to focus on Ayane-dono?"

Hayate nodded, "She's not a nuke-nin yet, but the elders are considering her failures as treason, for potentially siding with a nuke-nin. I have to make sure that she's innocent of the charges against her."

Akihiko nodded, "Understood, Hayate-sama... I won't fail you. It was your faith in me that allowed my return, even if it's pending at this point..."

Akihiko turned away and walked off. Hayate watched and the young man disappear behind the trees and he sighed, resting his own tired body against a nearby tree. "...please let things fall into place the way I want them to..."

Meanwhile, at the DOATEC Headquarters, Helena was sitting at her desk reviewing some of her information regarding the Mishima Zaibatsu, none of it really had a lot of information of the current head of the organization, just simple historical facts, and something about a rival corporation in the form of G. Helena was a bit frustrated, and she released an exhausted sigh and massaged her forehead with her right hand as a result. She looked at the photo she had on the side of her desk, which was of her mother, Maria, who was killed before the second Dead or Alive World Combat Championship.

Helena sighed and closed her tired eyes slowly, her heavy French accent rang as she spoke, "...Don't worry, Mother, I'll avenge you soon. I promise."

She leaned back into her chair and tried to calm her furious emotions. The last time she'd gotten emotionally unstable, she almost put herself in a coma, and to avoid medications and unnecessary tabloids, the singer had to work on her self-control and even hired an assistant to help her with her health, that person being Marie Rose. With a few deep breaths, Helena cleared her mind and began to mentally sort out her objectives, the two that were on the top of her list were taking care of Donovan; and avenging her mother's untimely death.

Helena leaned on her right fist and blinked, then closed her eyes once more, "...Now, the way I've been doing things before hasn't really helped me get anything done... Maybe it's time I try to gather what few allies I have..."

Just as Helena spoke, there was a knock at her office's door. "Yes? Who is it?"

"Um, Lady Helena? It's Marie... I have something to tell you." Marie Rose spoke from the opposite side of the door.

Marie Rose was a young short blonde woman, who dressed in Lolita style dresses. She was an intern under Helena, and since she idolized the French singer, that helped her chances of keeping a permanent job.

Helena replied, "Very well, What do you have to share with me?"

Marie spoke softly, "Well, Lady Helena, We've found out where the encrypted IP address came from that accessed our data a few days ago..."

Helena looked up as Marie Rose stood shyly before Helena's office's doors, "Oh, you have? That's splendid news. Where did it come from?"

Marie looked down, "...It came from the Mishima Zaibatsu, but it's unknown whether or not the place where it was found is a headquarters or a temporary base..."

Helena nodded, "Well, that's better than nothing. I'll have Zack setting out very soon to talk with the Zaibatsu's leader, hopefully we came come to some form of mutual agreement."

Marie Rose nodded, "Sounds like a great idea Lady Helena. I'll be waiting for you outside, in the lobby, so when you're done, please come with me so you can rest for the night. I'll call you when it's time."

Helena nodded, "Thank you, Marie. I'm very grateful for your assistance."

Marie blushed at the soprano woman's compliment before she stumbled out the door, "I-it's noting at all my Lady. N-now... if you'll excuse me..."

Helena smirked a little at the girl's display before returning to her computer. She tapped a few keys and hit the enter button, which was followed by a beeping reply a few minutes later. Helena's eyes scanned the message and she'd immediately began to type a hasty reply. Again, a message notification appeared and she read the message, this time asking for a specific thing, and again, a reply was made to her. After reading the last message, Helena type her response slowly, and wrote down something from the message. After a few more replies from Helena and her contact, the French woman finally shut down her computer and picked up a thin cell phone.

She pressed a few numbers and held the receiver to her ear. Zack, her recent African American DJ employee answered the phone with his usual spunk.

"Hey, Helena! What's shakin' baby?"

Helena's response was her usual refined elegance, "'Ello, Zack, I've an assignment for you."

Zack's cheery hyper voice was dipped in excitement at that news. "Oh really? That's what's up! Name the place and time, and I'm all over it!"

"Come by Headquarters tomorrow and I'll tell you everything then."

Zack nodded, despite being on the phone, "Alright! I'll see you first thing in the morning. If that's all, I'll be getting back to my party people!"

Helena sighed softly, "Yes, that is all for now."

Before Zack could respond, she hung up the phone and walked out of her office. Just as she was heading toward the elevator, Marie had called her cell phone.

"Lady Helena? I'll be coming up to get you now, if you don't mind." Marie's voice was just as soft on the phone as it was in person.

"Of course, I'll be waiting for you my dear." Helena's simple response had her usual tone.

"See you soon." was the last words the young girl spoke before taking her phone and hanging it up.

"I have something to talk to her about on this elevator ride. A second opinion never hurt anyone." Helena spoke to herself softly, cupping her chin with her right hand and pondering her options a bit further as she waited.

The elevator beeped and the doors slid open, revealing Helena's pale skinned intern standing with her hands over one another. "My Lady, is there something on your mind?"

Helena nodded, "Yes Marie, I have something I'd like to talk with you about."

Marie nodded to Helena as she walked in, "Yes, my lady. What is it?"

Helena sighed, "I am thinking about proposing to host a Tag Tournament with the Mishima Zaibatsu. However, that's not all... I also plan to use the resources of the Zaibatsu to find the ninja and try to make amends with them for my late father. I also need help locating Donovan's whereabouts and putting him in his place as well..."

"Lady Helena, do you think that the Zaibatsu will be cooperative? We hardly know anything about them."

Helena shook her head, "I doubt that they will cooperate at first, but we will 'ave to be patient and try more than once. I still don't know where Donovan is, and I can't take the risk of just letting him roam free without some form of lookout, so, we will ask their help in finding him."

Marie nodded, "That sounds like a very good idea Lady Helena." As Marie replied, the elevator opened and relinquished the two women to the lobby of the new DOATEC headquarters, then they took their time to retire to Helena's hotel suite in the next city.

Near Central America, on an oil rig in the neighboring ocean, a group of men swarmed a seemingly lifeless body that was found.

"Hey, you think she's dead?"

"She has to be. Look at her clothes."

"You mean like someone or something attacked her?"

The group of men continued conversing about the female body they'd discovered. One of the other men working the oil rig, aptly named Rig, made his way over through the commotion.

"Hey, clear out guys. I'll take over from here." Rig stated plainly.

Rig was a child, seemingly orphaned, when he started work on the rig. He never really left the place and since no one knew his name, they just called him 'Rig'. He is a muscular man with tattoos on his arms and neck and he has a close haircut with a unique lineup.

The guys left, all save for one large burly man who seemed to be a good friend of Rig's, Bass Armstrong, former professional wrestler in the DWF circuit.

Bass leaned over and asked, "Whatcha got here bud?"

Rig shrugged and looked the woman over, "Can't really say. The lady looks like a ghost but feels warm to the touch."

Bass asked, "She got a pulse right?" He looked skeptical about keeping a strange woman on the rig, but it ultimately wasn't his call to make.

Rig nodded, "Yeah, I checked her wrists and neck, she's beating in there, that's for sure..."

The woman looked to be of Asian lineage, had pale skin, short, neck length black hair and she was in a white dress that was torn, revealing her stomach, a bit of her thighs and frayed at the top. On her head was a white headband that held her hair from her face. The headband was cracked in the center, going horizontally with the length of the accessory, as if someone of something had tried to use her head as a battering ram.

Bass looked at Rig, "So what're we gonna do with 'er?"

Rig shrugged and tapped the woman's arms, hoping to get a response, "I dunno."

Bass stood back up and folded his arms, "You think we got a extra space to let her rest in?"

Rig shook his head, "Nope, we're full... I can't trust these guys to let her stay with them either... Who knows how long it's been since any of these rubes got lucky, ya know what I mean Bass?"

Bass gave a deep rumbling chuckle, "I get whacha mean bud." Both men sighed before Rig stood back up.

"I've gotta make a few calls, Bass. I'll meet you at the bar for a drink later?"

Bass nodded, "Haha, hell yea! I'll see ya in a few bud. Don't take too long, ya hear?"

As Bass walked off into the distance, Rig sighed and pulled out a phone and flipped it open. There was no dial tone, or buttons pressed, he simply flipped it open.

There was a voice on the other end that spoke, "Well, what is the matter this time?"

Rig looked at the woman on the floor before him, "We... might have... another... specimen... for you guys..." He put his free hand's index finger and thumb across his nose. Perhaps he felt guilty about subjecting this woman to whatever he was sending her off for?

The voice on the other line had a smile on his face, and it was evident in his voice, "Excellent.. I'll send a team by to pick it up momentarily."

Rig looked less than amused with the situation and responded blandly, "It's a she. Not an it."

The man's voice showed that he didn't care, "I hope this one will be better than the last specimen you 'found' son. Don't disappoint me again, you hear?"

Rig sighed, "Yeah old man, I got ya."

The voice on the other end asked, "So, where did you find this one?"

Rig shrugged, "One of the guys said that he found her drifting in the sea not too far from here on his way back from and old Aztec temple that you wanted us to check out."

The man on the other end chuckled and replied, "Good... That old temple is where the God of Fighting, Ogre, was awakened a few years back. While Ogre was destroyed, it was said that he took the skills of many great fighters after he awoke, usually killing the people in the process, but I've heard that some for the fighters he attacked had survived."

Rig raised a brow and a looked at the comatose Asian woman before him, "You think she was one of them? Who got attacked by that thing?"

"It's quite possible, since it honestly hasn't really been that long since the Third King of Iron Fist Tournament... only a few years."

Rig shook his head and sighed, "Just get your guys up here and take her off the working space, old man." Before he could allow the man on the line to respond, he flipped the phone shut and returned it to the pocket he retrieved it from and headed to the bar to meet Bass.


End file.
